Padma Lakshmi Avoids Backseat Hosting

The Top Chef Masters finale is on tomorrow (right before Top Chef: Las Vegas!), and Padma Lakshmi makes a special appearance. Is it hard for her to just sit and be on a show? Does she pick apart Kelly Choi’s abilities? Did she throw the remote against the wall when Anita Lo failed to identify hoisin sauce? Not exactly. Being a guest is much less stressful than hosting the show, Padma told us at last night’s premiere of Inglourious Basterds. “I got to just do the easy part. I just got to sit there and eat,” she said. “I didn’t have to move traffic, I didn’t have to remember everybody’s name. It was great.” When Padma’s not hosting food shows, she’s also not watching them: “I don’t watch a lot of TV, especially food TV. Watching Top Chef is like watching paint dry for me. I know what happens!”